Graining process



March 15, 1932. v CASTQ 1,849,278

GRAINING PROCESS Filed April 16, 1930 Has Patented Mar. 185, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT ori-Ica LLOYD v. GASTO, OE DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T0 OXFORD 'V'ARN'ISHOORPORA- TION, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN GRAINING PROCESS Appncafmn med .April 1s,

This invention relates to a method or process of obtaining' grain and tonal effects, that is to say, effects which are in close simulation of natural gra-in subjects, such as high grade wood, marble and the like, on suitable bases, such as metal, wall board, inexpensive woods and the like. The invention is a modification of that disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 444,882, filed April. 16, 1930.

In the copending application, there is disclosed a method or process of reproducing' high grade wood effects which includes the preparation of two separate printing members, both members being prepared to carry substantially the design of the original grain subject. One member is treated or prepared to emphasize specifically the tone'portions of the design and to subdue the dense grain contrasts, and the other member is prepared to emphasize the grain effects in sharp contrast. The members, so prepared, are used to effect res ective transfers of the design thereof onto t e base, one imprint being over the other, either in registration or definitely out of registration. The present method is characterized specifically in that an improved method of preparing the two members yis used. f

An object of the invention may he stated to be to provide an improved and simplified graining method or process which will result in work having a very natural appearance.

The lpreferredmanner of practicing the invention is as follows.

For either printing member, I use a photographic reproduction of the design of the wood or other natural object to be reproduced. One photographic reproduction emphasizes particularly the tone qualities of the subject. The other reproduction emphasizes particularly the grain in sharp contrasts. The member which carries the design in noncontrasting effect will be hereinafter called the toning plate or roll and the member' which emphasizes the grain in sharp contrast will be termed the graining plate or roll.

It will be understood that any of the known methods of producing a plate or roll from which a grain imprint may be transferred may be used. For example, I may use the 1930. semi no. @masa` method set forth in the Patent to J. P. Henry, No. 1,548,465, or I may use any variation of the half-tone methods. Other methods may .be used than those specifically mentioned.

In making an intaglio plate or roll, for eX- a'mple in accordance with the Henry patent, Iv start with a photographic reproduction on what is known as a soft emulsion film. This is represented by the so-called portrait film. The film may be on any suitable base, e. g. Celluloid, glass, paper or the like. The result of making such photographic reproduction is to eliminate, to a large extent, the details of the picture. From the photographic reproduction, I proceed to make a sultable resist for etching. The method of etching disclosed in the Henry patent may be used to bring out the design on a copper or suitable metallic plate or roll. The result.

-tone coloring, present in a large number of kinds of wood and other natural objects, and since this coloring is never Very distinct in the original.

The second plate or roll is prepared starting with a photographic reproduction using a film which will bring out the grain design in sharp contrast. The so-.called process film is preferably used. Following this photographic reproduction, a resist is made for etching. The etching will result in bringing out the design of the dense grain lines, of wood for example, in sharp contrast to the remaining areas of the plate or roll the background). This plate or roll is preferably deeply etched so as to contain a relatively greater depth of color or pigment material.

In connection with the present method, the degree of contrast elimination may be varied and controlled by the timing and development of the photographic reproduction. This is true as to both the contrast reproduction and the reproduction in which contrasts are cut down or eliminated. For example, the photographic reproduction in which the grain eects are subdued may be treated by over-timing the exposure, as in taking the original picture, and under-developing the rint. This will of itself result in the elimmation of considerable contrast between the dense grain lines on the photograph and the background.

' It will be understood that the method may be varied in that the actual etching may be controlled in such manner as to emphasize the tone and eliminate grain contrast in case of the toning plate or roll, and/0r to emphasize the grain and eliminate the tone in the graining plate or roll. Suitable methods in connection with the actual etching process are described in my copending application above mentioned.

The base, unless it is naturally of a color Which represents substantially the ground color of the original subject is prepared by placing thereon a suitable coating of ground color. The ground color coating is suitably dried in any known manner.

An impression may now be made from the toning plate or roll and incase this is an intaglio printintr member, a suitable film of pigment material may be placed on a plate or roll, the excess pigment then scraped oit, as by a scraper blade, and the pigment design which is thereby left on the roll may then be transferred to the base over the ground color, as by means of a suitable resilient roll. 'The color used is substantially that of the undertone color eiiects of the wood or other natural object to be simulated or reproduced. The graining plate or roll then receives a suitable hlm of pigment, the excess being scraped off. and an impression made `as before, but with a dark color corresponding (either by itself or in combination with the undertone color) to the dark grain color of the Wood or other natural object to be simulated or reproduced.

The process is illustrated in the drawings in which F ig. l is a cross-section, showing the basewith the ground coat applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a similar cross-section, showing the base having the ground coat and a transfer from the plate prepared from the noncone trasting negative applied thereto, and Fig. 3

is a cross-section of the base having a ground coat, the non-contrasting transfer and the transfer from the plate prepared from the negative made to emphasize the contrast applied thereto. Suitable legends have been applied to the drawings to facilitate an understanding of the invention, but it is to be understood that such legends in no way limit the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

It will be understood that the two imprints may be made in registration, since the design of the two plates or rolls is actually different and no true registration can be had in any event, or the two imprints ma be definitely out of registration. This is etermined by the nature of the wood or other natural object to be copied.

The present method may be varied in that one photographic reproduction may representone design and the other reproduction a different design. For example, the toning plate or roll can constitute a master toning printing member for making the toning imprint in connection with an imprint from a selected one of a large number of different graining plates or rolls, each arranged to print a distinctive grain pattern.

l claim:

il. IThe process of reproducing natural grain subjects on suitable bases, comprising, treating the base to cause it to represent substantially the round. color of the selected subject, preparing a photographic reproduction of the original subiect to be reproduced, said photographic reproduction having the grain design represented thereon in sharp contrast from the remaining areas, pre aring a resist from the photographic reprot uction and forming a printing' -member by etching through said resist, preparing another photographic reproduction carrying the grain design of the original relatively subdued, that is non-contrasting, etching a printing member by means of a resist prepared from said photographic reproduction last mentioned, and successively printing from said members onto the base, using a darker color for the member prepared through the intermediacy of the contrasting reproduction than for the other member.

2. The process according to claim l, wherein the photographic reproduction used to make the printing member which prints the darker color, constitutes a process film, and wherein the photographic reproduction for the other printing member constitutes a portrait film.

3. The process according to claim i, wherein the non-contrasting photographic reproduction comprises a soft emulsion iilm.

4. The process according to claim l, wherein the printing member made through the intermediacy of the contrasting reproduction is more deeply etched than the other printing member.

ln testimony whereof l hereunto afx my signature.

LLYD V. GASTO.

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